My Alfred, My Hero
by Princess Twila
Summary: You can guess who's the hero...read for the rest of the summary! Warnings: Human names used, language, shounen-ai, angst, violence, fluff. I do not own Hetalia.  This will center around America and England, though the other countries make appearances.
1. Chapter 1

My Alfred, My Hero

Summary: Alfred has to save the day. If I reveal any more, then you won't be guessing the plot as you read it. Enjoy!

Characters: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Wish I did, though…then again, the series wouldn't be about Italy anymore, it'd be all about USxUK, so it might be good that I don't own Hetalia, hehehe.

Warnings: Yaoi. Fluff (I effing love fluff). Angst. Violence. Language (yes, England has a very foul mouth). Creepiness (on the part of Belarus…what the devil is wrong with her, anyways?). USxUK (god I hate FrUk), GerIta, Franada, one-sided Bela-Russia, JapanxChina, SpainxSouthItaly, AustriaxHungary. Note: Human names will be used. Don't like, don't read.

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><p>Ivan shivered as he heard his younger sister's insane ranting outside his door, accompanied by the unearthly scream of her nails against the metal door he had installed to keep her out. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought. 'I am supposed to be the nation that strikes fear into the hearts of others, not the one affected by fear.' He shivered again as the mantra that escaped from her lips reached his ears: "Marry me marry me marry me marry me…" He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blessed silence that would mean she gave it up…for now.<p>

He could hardly believe it when her voice and scratching finally stopped. He exhaled, not knowing that he had been holding his breath. Allowing some of the built-up tension to release from his shoulders, he opened his eyes.

And there were her violet eyes, so like his own, barely inches from his face. He gave a small yelp and scrambled backwards, falling out of his office chair. "You are mine," Natalia intoned, her insane smile coming closer and closer as Ivan desperately tried to back away…

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><p>"Do you like it, mon amour?" the Frenchman asked gently as his love blushed a light shade of pink.<p>

"Y-yes, Francis, I like it very much," Matthew stuttered quietly, smiling as he sniffed the delicate pink rose he had been given. It was the first rose that had bloomed in the Frenchman's garden, and he had invited Matthew over especially to enjoy the first flowers of spring with him. Francis wrapped an arm around Matthew's waist and led him to other parts of the garden, ending by a white bench surrounded by an arbor sporting the first leaves of spring. He sat on the bench and rested his arm across the back, allowing Matthew to lean into his embrace, still holding the rose. Matthew laid his head on his love's shoulder, who gently kissed his hair in response.

Francis absolutely loved these moments that he could have with Matthew. The younger nation was unlike any of the other partners he had had throughout his life, and he enjoyed the refreshing qualities Matthew brought into their relationship. Matthew's quiet personality perfectly counterbalanced the Frenchman's assertiveness, and opened new doors for each other to experience the opposite qualities around each other. His passiveness provided the Frenchman with a sense of calm that he rarely found these days except when drowning himself in wine. Matthew's peaceful nature was like a fantastic ocean in which Francis could finally find his own peace and relaxation. Plus, Matthew was one of the few nations who voluntarily conversed with him in his own native French language.

"I am so lucky to have you," Francis whispered against the silky blonde hair, his breath causing Matthew's curl to wave in its wake. Matthew lifted his beautiful violet eyes up to the Frenchman's gaze, and Francis leaned in to kiss him.

Suddenly Francis groaned and doubled over, his hands clutching his abdomen. "Francis?" Matthew asked worriedly. Francis did not answer but could only fall off of the bench, his body no longer supporting his weight. "Francis?" Matthew's cry was louder this time and he fell to the ground next to his love, fear striking his heart as he actually was able to gauge how fast the color was leaving Francis' face. "Francis, what's wrong?" Matthew cried, clutching his love's face. France gave an agonized groan and vomited blood, the bright red trail trickling from the corner of his mouth to spill on the gravel below.

"FRANCIS!" Matthew screamed.

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><p>"Alfred, for the last time, I am not in any trouble and I do not need you to be my hero!" Arthur yelled at the younger nation. As usual, though, his words went in one of Alfred's ears and right out the other. 'That's because there's nothing between those ears to keep the words in, dammit!' the Brit thought furiously as he was slung over Alfred's shoulder.<p>

"Ah, old man, you _do_ need me to be the hero here! You're getting to be so old that you can't even walk on a sprained ankle!" Alfred's infuriatingly cheerful demeanor was almost tangible as he carried the protesting Englishman to the nearest first-aid station. He and Arthur had been at an amusement park when Arthur slipped on a slick step going up the water slide, twisting his ankle enough to make him cry out. Of course, then Alfred went all heroic on him and the result was that he was now being dragged against his will to get some ice for his ankle; he and Alfred were even still in their swim trunks.

A few minutes later, Arthur was still fuming and Alfred was merely humming as he brought back their bags so that they could change back into dry clothes. Sitting down on the low brick wall next to Arthur, Alfred opened up his bag to grab a towel and dry his still-dripping blonde hair. Arthur held the bag of ice to his swollen ankle, trying not to think about how absolutely _hot_ Alfred looked without a shirt on, the water from the rides still clinging to his fit and muscular torso.

Alfred's phone vibrated from his backpack and he pulled it out, checking the caller ID. "Matthew Williams? Who's that?" he wondered aloud.

Arthur rubbed his slightly sunburnt forehead with his free hand in frustration. "Matthew. Your brother. Canada."

"Oh, Mattie!" Alfred cheerfully brushed off his confusion and answered the call. "'Sup, dude? Haven't heard from you in a while! Hey, guess where Arthur and I are-"

"Alfred, give the boy a chance to speak!" Arthur scolded. Alfred quickly shut up and immediately became aware that he could hear sniffling through the speakerphone.

"Mattie? What's wrong?" Alfred asked worriedly.

"I...it…it's F-f-francis," Matthew was finally able to get out between sobs. He was unable to say anything else.

"Don't worry, Mattie, I'm coming right over, are you actually in France right now?" Alfred's authoritative demeanor was comforting to Matthew, who was able to somehow reply "yes." "Me'n Arthur'll be over as soon as we can. See ya, dude!" Alfred winked into thin air as he ended the conversation.

"Sounds like we're going to France, then?" Arthur grumbled, secretly relieved, though, to get out of the unforgiving sun which had already begun to burn his pale skin.

"Yeah, Mattie wasn't able to say much; he sounds like a wreck," Alfred frowned. Then he grinned mischievously and picked Arthur up bridal style to carry him out of the park, the Englishman protesting loudly the whole way.

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><p>"Jeezum, Iggy, you should've seen all those mothers back at the park; they had to cover their kids' ears to protect them from your foul mouth!" Alfred ribbed Arthur as they got off of the plane in Paris. Arthur scowled at Alfred, though the gesture was lost on the younger nation as he got a text. The American whipped out his phone to view the text, his smile slipping off of his face as he read it.<p>

"What is it?" Arthur wandered around to Alfred's side to try and peer at the text over the American's arm. Shakily Alfred angled the phone so that Arthur could see it better.

_Hey Al, sorry I was having trouble talking earlier. It's just Francis and I were enjoying an afternoon together when all of a sudden he got really sick…as in coughing up blood. We're at the hospital; I really need you right now. – Matt_

Arthur looked up at Alfred, who was staring off into the distance. Arthur shook his head and placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred snapped out of it and began walking towards the luggage carousel. Arthur pulled out his own phone and called for a cab before following in the same direction. He looked out the window at the nighttime Parisian skyline, actually worried for the annoying Frenchman.

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><p>Well, people, this is the first chapter! Hope you enjoy it, and keep up with me for further updates! Review and tell me your ideas on the plot!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

My Alfred, My Hero

Here we are at part 2, people! Things just keep getting better and better…sorry, I mean worse and worse…

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

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><p>"Ve, ve, ve," Feliciano said happily as he ran up the steps to Ludwig's door. Raising his arm to pull on the brass knocker, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar, almost barely noticeable. Feliciano thought nothing of it and proceeded into the house, still ve-ing.<p>

His path led him to the German's office, where Ludwig would most likely be, working on paperwork. The office door was shut tightly against intruders, and Feliciano struggled with the knob for a bit before he was able to finally open the door. He gasped at the sight of an unconscious Ludwig slumped over his desk, blood leaking from his mouth and slowly pooling over the paperwork and mahogany wood.

"Ludwig Ludwig Ludwig wake up wake up!" Feliciano cried desperately as he rushed around the side of the desk. He hugged the German's strong shoulders, listening for a heartbeat, a pulse, _anything_. Frantically he picked up the phone and called Lovino.

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><p>"Stop it, you tomato bastard!" Lovino's plaintive cry echoed in the room over the noise of the movie as Antonio grinned at him and twined his hand with Lovino's. He loved how Lovino always played hard-to-get, even if he was simply trying to hold Lovino's hand. Antonio could barely make out his lover's blush from the light of the screen, and Antonio knew that Lovino was glad that they had turned the lights off for the movie. Antonio finally succeeded in pinning Lovino's hand to the cushion, grinning at Lovino who blushed even harder.<p>

"Just watch the movie," Lovino murmured. Antonio complied and turned his attention back to the television.

When Lovino's hand was first jerked from his grasp, he was not worried; probably the Italian was just going to the bathroom but struggling to get off of the plush couch if the squirming from his side of the couch were anything to judge by. Antonio chanced a peek at the easily embarrassed Italian. His eyes bugged out as he saw Lovino thrashing violently, foam gathering at the corners of his mouth and his beautiful brown eyes rolling back in his head.

"Lovino!" Antonio shouted and jumped on top of him, trying to pin him down and stop his maniacal thrashing. The small Italian began to heave, and suddenly Antonio found the front of his tan uniform splattered with blood. "Dios mio," Antonio breathed, reaching for his cell phone to call an ambulance.

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><p>"Alfred!" Matthew cried out as Alfred and Arthur rushed through the doors of the hospital. He ran towards them and clung to Alfred, trying hard not to sob hysterically. Alfred wrapped his arms around his twin, allowing the younger a modicum of sympathy and comfort. Arthur grimaced and gently placed his hand on Matthew's shoulder, his more refined show of affection achieving the same effect as Alfred's hug did.<p>

After a few minutes Matthew had calmed down enough to lead them to Francis' room in ICU. The door opened and the three were treated to a sight of a deathly white Francis encased in tubes, IV's, and monitors. The beeping on the heart monitor was uneven and erratic; that, the drip of the IV, and the whisper of the breathing machine were the only noises in the room. Matthew gave a small whimper and turned away, unable to see his love in this state. Arthur glanced at Alfred, who took the hint and led his twin out of the room. The door slowly swung shut behind them, leaving Arthur alone with Francis.

Even though he and Francis clashed more often than they did not – in fact, Arthur could not remember any recent encounters where they had _not_ clashed – the Frenchman was an ally and useful for some things. Seeing the nation reduced to this struck him deeply. He walked around to the side of the bed and rested his hand against Francis' pale forehead, noting how clammy it was. The symptoms looked suspiciously as if someone had attacked the French population, and now Francis was suffering for it. Arthur shook his head sadly and walked out of the room to join Alfred and Matthew in the hall.

Alfred was still hugging Matthew as they both sat on some chairs that were outside of the door. Matthew's tears had finally dried up, though he was yet unable to stop the shivers that wracked his body. Arthur sat down next to Alfred and waited patiently for a bit before asking Matthew gently, "Has anything happened in France that would make him like this?"

Matthew shook his head, still clinging to Alfred as though he were a lifeline. "I've been checking the news every few minutes or so," Matthew gulped, "and I've been in touch with his boss; he says that nothing has come to his attention but that he'll let me know if anything reaches him. Why is Francis like this? Do you know what's causing this?" Matthew looked pleadingly at his old mentor.

"Cheer up, dude, Arthur and I'll figure it out because I'M THE HERO!" Alfred said flamboyantly. Matthew closed his eyes and gently punched his twin in the arm before his melancholy mood returned. Arthur, who watched the exchange, thought darkly to himself, 'I don't know if even you will be able to solve this one, Alfred.'

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><p>Antonio was sitting outside of the door of Lovino's hospital room; the exhaustion of the past eight hours was beginning to catch up with him. He stood up as a doctor emerged from the room, looking drawn and just as exhausted as Antonio did.<p>

"Por favor, medico, is he better?" Antonio asked before the doctor was able to open his mouth. The doctor numbly shook his head. "We were able to get him stabilized, but there's not much else we can do. We don't know what's ailing him. I'm sorry." The doctor placed a comforting hand on Antonio's arm before walking away.

Antonio's breath caught and he collapsed against the wall, allowing the tears he had been holding back to finally come free. The strength of his sorrow was enough to make him choke, and he was reduced to agonizing gasps in a matter of seconds. His phone in his pocket rang, but in his current state, he was unable to answer it. The ringtone died away as Antonio worked to get himself under control.

Finally he was able to pull his phone out of his pocket and check to see whose call he had missed. Seeing that the caller had been Feliciano, he hurriedly dialed the number, waiting anxiously for the other end to pick up. Barely one ring had passed before the excitable Italian's voice reached his ears. "Oh Antonio, do you know where Lovino is I tried to call him but he didn't pick up either at home or on his cell so I had to call you something's wrong with Germany and I don't know what to do can you put Lovino on?" Antonio shook his head, trying desperately to process the flood of words through his hazy mind.

"L-lovino is, well, he's unable to come to the phone," Antonio was finally able to get out. For once the Italian was quiet as he heard the obvious pain in the Spaniard's voice. "Oh, Feliciano, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

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><p>"Well, brother, I have begun to take over the world! Soon you will love me for doing that which you started but were unable to finish. You will not be able to resist me and the power I will finally wield!"<p>

Ivan looked blearily at Natalia. "You will never be able to. You never were as powerful as I was, and I was not able to take over the world. You will be found out, and you will fail." Ivan spat out the last word.

Natalia's only response was to grin and walk over to the cold stone table where Ivan was chained on his back. Her evil violet eyes bored into his, and he averted his eyes. She grabbed his chin, forcing his gaze back to hers, and kissed him forcefully. The Russian twisted violently against the chains, metal screaming against metal and cutting into his wrists and ankles through clothes that had already been worn to tatters from his earlier struggles. Natalia finally broke away from him, panting.

"You do not know, brother. I _am_ more powerful than you. I have a secret weapon that no one knows about. And with it, I will rule the world and win you over. No one will be able to resist me!" Ivan closed his eyes desperately as her insane laughter echoed around the chamber.

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><p>Well, that's chapter two, people! So NataliaBelarus is the villain here…any ideas on how she's doing all this? Just as an fyi, updates will be a bit more sporadic in the coming days…I am a college kid, and it's finals week. Technically I should be studying philosophy right now, but I would much rather be writing this than analyzing Aristotle.


	3. Chapter 3

My Alfred, My Hero

Ok, so summary of the last two chapters: Ivan has been captured by Natalia; Ludwig, Francis and Lovino all have this mystery illness and are all hospitalized; Natalia believes that she has this super-weapon that will enable her to rule the world and thus win over Ivan. Got it? Anyways, here we go for chapter 3!

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

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><p>"THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS ME HAS ARRIVED!" Gilbert shouted as he burst into the living room where Roderich and Elizaveta had been cuddling. The two cried out at his sudden intrusion and jumped away from each other as if scalded. "Caught you!" Gilbert teased as the heat rose to the faces of the other two.<p>

"What are you doing here, Gilbert?" Roderich snapped back, unable to keep the blush from his cheeks.

"Just checking up on you two; you know that a gentleman and a lady need a chaperone when together," Gilbert replied cheekily, bringing up said lady's honor just to annoy Roderich.

"I would never take advantage of her! Do you take me for a tramp?" Roderich was now shouting at Gilbert.

"Roderich, please don't shout," Elizaveta whispered quietly. At the sound of her voice, Roderich began making an effort to calm down.

When he had composed himself to at least be civil to Gilbert, who was still smirking as he stood in the doorway, he said, "Gilbert, do take a seat."

"Thought you were never going to ask," Gilbert replied as he flounced into a plush armchair. Roderich's lips tightened, but he sent Elizaveta to the kitchen to fetch some tea and biscuits for their guest.

"What do you want, Gilbert?" Roderich hissed as soon as Elizaveta was out of earshot.

"You know, I just need a place to stay for the night," Gilbert waved vaguely at the Austrian's home. "And you and Elizaveta really do need a chaperone."

"I would never compromise Elizaveta's honor!" Roderich's voice rose throughout his entire rant. "And we most certainly do not need a chaperone! Do you think we're still in the nineteenth century?" In response, Gilbert eyed the Austrian's outfit, from the ruff at his collar to the royal blue dress coat he wore, as well. Roderich narrowed his eyes and huffed. "Whatever…and yes, you can stay the night."

Gilbert winked at him. "Thanks, old fellow."

The two men were reduced to twiddling their thumbs while they waited for Elizaveta to return with the tea and biscuits. After a while, Roderich muttered something that sounded like "I'll go and check on her" before standing up and heading in the direction of the kitchen. Mischief sparkling in his red eyes, Gilbert got up and silently followed Roderich. Stopping outside of the kitchen door, he was about to jump out at the two again when he heard Roderich call out Elizaveta's name in a rather worried tone. Abandoning his game, the Prussian entered the kitchen to see Elizaveta sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Roderich was kneeling next to her, rubbing her hand to try and get her to awaken. Gilbert immediately became serious and rushed to their sides. "She won't wake up!" Roderich said frantically.

"Go call an ambulance," Gilbert ordered, taking over the chafing of her hand. For once, the Austrian listened to him without questioning and ran off to the telephone.

"Come on, Elizaveta, wake up," Gilbert whispered to the brunette. Suddenly Elizaveta began choking, and Gilbert rolled her onto her side to try and free her airways. The still-unconscious girl gave one last heave before a stream of blood ran from her mouth. "Roderich get the ambulance here now!" Gilbert shouted. When he didn't hear an answer, he propped Elizaveta on her side and ran to where Roderich should have been at the phone. He nearly tripped over the prone form of the Austrian, who had barely made it around the corner to the phone before collapsing, clutching his torso. Gilbert watched in horror as Roderich, too, began vomiting blood.

"Mein gott," Gilbert whispered before running to the phone and dialing the ambulance.

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><p>"Raivis! Toris! Eduard! Get here now!" Natalia shouted through the fairly empty house. She waited impatiently, tapping her foot until she finally heard the terrified squeak that meant that Raivis, at least, had arrived. She angrily whirled around to see the three nations grouped behind her, and though Raivis was the only one who was vocal about it, she could see that the three men were afraid of her. 'Good,' she thought. 'A feared nation is a powerful nation.' She brought her attention back to them.<p>

"Now, as you know, Master Ivan has not been feeling well as of late," she began pleasantly. "I just checked in on him, and while I am out, he has asked not to be disturbed. If I find that any of you have gone against his wishes, I will personally skin you alive!" Her voice rose at the end of her statement for emphasis, leaving the three other nations trembling. Turning on her heel, she nearly collided with Yekaterina, who had somehow managed to come up behind her quietly. Natalia snarled at her older sister; as usual, Yekaterina had tears in her eyes and a paper in her hand.

"Please, I need to see Ivan!" she wailed.

"Ivan is sick, so leave him alone! And for God's sake, quit pestering him with these damn debts that you have! Pay them yourself!" Natalia raged. Yekaterina sobbed something about her boss sending her here to at least try before she ran off, her trademark _boing_ sound accompanying her and bouncing off of the walls. Natalia hissed in distaste and ordered one of her brother's chauffeurs to drive her to his boss's office. Once inside the building, Natalia lifted up her skirts to pull a knife off of her leg where it had been strapped and hidden. Tucking it behind her apron for easy access, she walked to Ivan's boss's door and knocked for entry. Upon being admitted, she informed the man of Ivan's dilemma. Her hand remained behind her apron, grasping the knife, waiting for the moment the man turned his back…

A few moments later, Natalia was satisfied. "One down, one more to go," she whispered to herself as she walked out and ordered the chauffeur to drive her to her own boss's office.

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><p>Arthur's phone vibrated, jerking him, Alfred, and Matthew out of their reverie. Mumbling an apology, Arthur stood up and walked off to a distance to answer the call. He groaned when he saw that it was Feliciano who was calling him – he really was not in the mood to talk with the excitable Italian – but answered the phone anyways. "Hello, Feliciano."<p>

"Oh Arthur it's terrible I don't know what to do I just walked into his house and found him like that and then I tried to call Lovino but he wasn't picking up so I called Antonio and he said that the same thing had happened to him and I'm all alone!" the Italian howled, causing Arthur's normally short temper to shorten several more notches.

"Belt up, Feliciano!" Arthur commanded, and the Italian finally shut up. "Now, what has happened to Lovino and – I'm assuming – Ludwig?"

"Yes, it's Ludwig," Feliciano sniffled over the phone. "I was going to his house to visit today and when he didn't answer I walked in on him and he was unconscious and there was blood…" he trailed off. Arthur heard him take a deep breath before continuing. "Then I tried to call Lovino, but he didn't pick up, so I called Antonio and he said that the same things were happening to Lovino, and – oh Arthur, I'm scared!" Feliciano cried.

Arthur's eyes had narrowed during the conversation. "What did you say their symptoms were?" he asked, glancing back at the closed door to Francis' room.

"Coughing up blood, loss of consciousness, fever, loss of muscle control…why?" Feliciano sniffled.

Arthur inhaled sharply. "Well, I'm in Paris right now, visiting Francis, and Francis has the exact same symptoms." This time it was Feliciano's turn to inhale sharply. "Do you think…" Feliciano trailed off, almost voicing what the two nations were most certainly thinking. Arthur immediately assumed authority.

"We're calling a world meeting. This is more serious than meets the eye. I'll send out a mass email to everyone. Meet here, in Paris, at noon tomorrow -" Arthur stopped, checking his watch. Seeing that it was after midnight, he said, "Scratch that. Make it noon today." Feliciano voiced his agreement before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Alfred asked as Arthur returned to the two brothers.

"Feliciano. Apparently Ludwig and Lovino are suffering the same symptoms as Francis," Arthur replied. At Francis' name, Matthew's eyes began to water, and he turned his head into Alfred's shoulder to hide his tears. Arthur's heart twanged in sympathy.

"Don't worry, Matthew, we're going to do something about this. I've called a world meeting for noon today, here in Paris. We're going to find out what's ailing Francis and the others, and we'll find the treatment for it. There has to be a way."

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><p>Well, there you have it, people, chapter 3! Please feel free to submit reviews with your predictions; I love feedback. Wish me luck on my philosophy exam tomorrow…<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

My Alfred, My Hero

Yay! Philosophy final done (thank God!), Chai Tea Latte in hand, and several hours of free time…yep, great conditions for writing!

Summary of the first three chapters: Natalia's become a murderer; Ludwig, Lovino, Roderich, Francis, and Elizaveta are all hospitalized; and Arthur and Alfred have called a world meeting. What will happen to our beloved countries next? Who is the next victim?

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

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><p>"WOULD YOU BLOODY WANKERS JUST SHUT YER YAPS!"<p>

Immediate silence.

"Thank you," Arthur resumed in a quieter voice. "Now, as you know, this meeting has been called due to several alarming occurrences that have struck several of the nation personifications. Ludwig of Germany, Lovino of South Italy, Francis of France, Elizaveta of Hungary, and Roderich of Austria have all contracted an illness that, though the cause is unknown, has manifested in blood loss, unconsciousness, and fever, among other symptoms." Sympathetic glances were cast upon Matthew, Feliciano, Antonio, and Gilbert.

Arthur continued. "As of yet we do not have an idea as to the cause of this affliction. We can only advise that you keep in close contact with your allies in order to make sure that they are alright as well as for them to make sure that you are alright. We will alert you all as soon as we have figured out either the cause or the cure. Any nations that were unable to make it today-" more glances were cast at the empty seats where Ivan and his satellites normally sat "-should be contacted immediately. Thank you all for coming on such short notice."

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><p>The meeting was finally over, and the other countries were filing out to return to their native lands. Matthew sat in his chair, ignored, as usual, by everyone else. At the moment, he didn't mind the lack of attention; he was still in shock over the events of the past 24 hours. His chin trembled as he remembered the agonizingly slow wait for the ambulance…the harrowing journey to the hospital…his sense of relief that they had stabilized Francis that was instantly whisked away when he saw his beloved cocooned in the nest of tubes and monitors…Matthew couldn't help it; the tears once again leaked from his eyes. He clasped his hands in his lap and squeezed his eyes shut, the sense of absolute helplessness looming over him.<p>

He barely noticed through the haze of sorrow that a pair of strong arms clad in a leathery brown bomber jacket had wrapped themselves around his shoulders. He could only bury his face in the furry brown collar, clutching desperately at his savior. A large hand gently rubbed his back, and a soothing voice whispered words of comfort in his ear. They sat like that for some time until Matthew's tears were once again spent, though he was sure that as soon as he was alone, he would break down again. Matthew gratefully looked up at his older twin, his eyes asking the question that everyone was thinking: Would the other nations, Francis included, get better?

Matthew watched determination settle in Alfred's blue eyes. Alfred was almost scary when he got this determined; as a nation, he wasn't a superpower for nothing. His penetrating gaze cut through Matthew's hazy mind, and he listened in awe to what his twin had to say.

"I _will_ save Francis and the others for you, Mattie. I _am_ the hero."

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><p>Yao shuffled the papers on his desk, absentmindedly thinking about the date he and Kiku were going on later that evening. Both he and Kiku agreed that they needed some light during this dark time. Yao was worried for the other nations, and he knew that the quiet Kiku was also worried. Their later date would help them to take their minds off of the present.<p>

For now, though, he had more pressing matters on his hands. He had been volunteered to get in touch with Ivan, and he had trying for the past two hours to reach Ivan and his associates. He had emailed, texted, and called, but to no avail. Ivan, Natalia, Yekaterina, Raivis, Eduard, and Toris were all unavailable, and their bosses were also rather quiet. Then again, the respective bosses for Natalia, Yekaterina, Raivis, Eduard, and Toris were about as assertive as the nations themselves were, which was to say, not very much at all. 'My boss would be rather timid if I had Ivan and his boss looming over me, as well,' Yao thought in a rare moment of sympathy for the tiny nations. It was a little worrying, though, that Ivan had not been at the meeting and that no one was able was able to get through to him.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "Are you ready, Yao-san?" Kiku blushed, his white uniform pressed and ironed.

"Just a moment, aru. I have to try one more time to reach Ivan and the others," Yao smiled at Kiku. "Feel free to take a seat." In a rare moment of assertive affection for Yao, Kiku sat on the desk next to Yao's computer, smiling down at him while Yao quickly typed out an email. Sighing as he sent it, he shut down his computer and stood up.

"Let us be off, aru."

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><p>"Mr. Kirkland, what do you think is going to happen?" Flying Mint Bunny asked Arthur.<p>

Arthur gave Flying Mint Bunny a tired smile. "As of now, they've got Francis and the others stabilized. I think they'll be okay…for now."

"No, I mean, what do you think Mr. Jones is going to do? He had that look on his face when he left earlier." Arthur remembered quite well what look the American had on his face as Arthur saw him out the door. That old fire was back in his eyes, a fire Arthur knew too well. Every time the American had gone forth with that light in his eyes, he was like a whirlwind, striking down all opposition in his path and coming out victorious. Not only did that light scare whomever was pissing the American off, it also had such strength as to scare his allies.

Arthur gave a dry chuckle and sent a silent prayer up to whoever might be watching over them during this trying time. "He's going to be the hero, Flying Mint Bunny. Just you wait and see." What remained unspoken between them was what might happen if their hero failed. If Alfred didn't come back from whatever he had planned, Arthur didn't know what he would do.

* * *

><p>A steady stream of actual curses rushed from Ivan's lips. He had been trying for several hours to hex Natalia and stop whatever it was she was doing, but so far, his curses were having no effect whatsoever. He laid his head back against the cold stone table, defeated. No, he was the epitome of Russia; he would never give up. He had to see if there was some way to defeat Natalia…but first he had to get her talking.<p>

'Speak of the devil,' he thought dourly as he heard her footsteps echoing in the corridor outside of his chamber. He braced himself as he heard the key sliding in the lock.

"Hello, brother," Natalia grinned. "You have missed me, no?"

"Get out, you foul demoness!" Ivan shouted at her, momentarily losing his self-control. He had forgotten how absolutely terrifying the insanity in her voice was.

The click of her shoes on stone signified that she was approaching the table. He hid his face in his scarf, horrified as usual by the kiss that was sure to come. When Natalia grabbed his face with both hands, forcing her lips to his, he thrashed violently and bit her lip, breaking the skin and drawing blood. Natalia shrieked and recoiled from him, hatred momentarily burning through the madness that was ever-present in her violet eyes these days. It quickly died away, though, as a devious grin spread across her face; droplets of blood where Ivan had bit her beaded on her lip as the skin was stretched.

"Either you will marry me, Ivan, or I will kill off the nations I have struck," she declared. "Who shall we start with first? There's Ludwig, Lovino, Francis, Roderich, Elizaveta…" she trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air between them.

Ivan's head reeled; she had already attacked so many countries? But how? Natalia watched the confusion spread across his face, satisfied.

"Yes, brother, not only have I found a spell that will protect me from your…rather childish…hexes, but I have also found a spell that achieves the same effects as if I were physically attacking that country! It is no small matter for me to kill them off in their weakened states, and if you do not marry me, I will be forced to do so!" Ivan snarled at her. Natalia smiled evilly at him. Coming closer so that her nose was almost touching his, she whispered, "You have been proving to be stubborn in not falling for me and my new power. Know that it will be your fault for not marrying me if the other nations die. You have twenty-four hours to tell me of your decision; I _will_ marry you, and you _will_ marry me."

* * *

><p>Hahahahahaha I had you all going there! You thought Yao or Kiku were going to be the next victims! Hahahahahaha okay enough laughing. Btw, I let slip something in this last scene with Natalia…either submit a review or p.m. me about what you think it might be! Get ready for chapter 5, coming soon!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

My Alfred, My Hero

Summary of the past four chapters: Natalia gave Ivan an ultimatum; Alfred is planning… something…; Yao is having trouble getting in touch with Ivan/Ivan's associates. Once again, any ideas on what Natalia let slip?

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

* * *

><p>Raivis watched Natalia lock the door to the darkened room and slip the key into the bodice of her dress. He hid himself behind the column and from his hiding place watched Natalia walk purposefully back up the stairs. He gave one last quick glance at the door before following her.<p>

Once at the top of the steps, he checked to make sure that the coast was clear and dashed as fast as he could out of St. Basil's Cathedral. He sprinted along the alleys and back streets, trying to make sure that he was back at Ivan's house before Natalia could find him out. He burst through the back gate and ran inside, catching his breath just in time for Natalia to walk in the door. She gave a single sneer at him before saying, "I go to check on Master Ivan now. Have a bowl of soup ready for him in case he needs it."

"Y-y-yes, Miss," he stammered, for once thankful that his timid nature could be used as an excuse for his being out of breath. He watched Natalia turn on her heel and head up the carpeted stairs before running to the kitchen to check on the soup. The thoughts that raced through his mind were almost giving him a headache. What was Natalia hiding in the cathedral? What _really_ was wrong with Master Ivan? What was Natalia doing during the hours that she would shut herself up in the guest room that Master Ivan had granted her? Such was Raivis' concentration that he jumped when Eduard and Toris entered the kitchen. The two glanced at him oddly; not even Raivis was normally this edgy. Before they could ask him anything, the phone intercom rang. Raivis hurriedly picked it up.

"Master Ivan does not need any soup, but I do," Natalia's voice snapped from the other end. "Bring it up now." Then she hung up the phone. Raivis dished out a bowl of soup and, arranging the soup, a napkin, utensils, and bread on a tray, carefully but quickly took the tray to Natalia's room. He set the tray down on her desk, trying not to make too much noise; otherwise, she would yell at him. As it was, as soon as he was out of the room she slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside. Raivis shuddered before an idea popped in his head. Sneaking down the hall, always checking back at Natalia's door to make sure it stayed closed, he brought out his master key ring (Ivan had given him a copy of almost every key in the house) and unlocked his master's bedroom. Shaking in fear, he opened the door as quietly as possible and looked around the room.

Ivan wasn't there.

Raivis was shocked. Miss Natalia had been lying to them? Where was Ivan? He quickly re-closed and re-locked the door, and spun around right into Eduard and Toris. He nearly shrieked, but the two nations looked just as shocked as he did.

"Where is Master Ivan?" Toris asked at the same time that Eduard was scolding Raivis for once again looking for trouble. When they had both quieted down, Raivis said, "I don't know where he is, and I don't know what Miss Natalia has done with him, but I know for sure that it can't be good."

"What are we going to do?" Eduard asked anxiously. Raivis shook his head, for once at a loss of words.

* * *

><p>Natalia finished her soup and laid the spoon to rest on the tray, wiping her mouth with the napkin before resting that, also, on the tray. Going over to the computer desk, she opened up her private email account; she had hacked into the accounts of Ivan and his associates and streamlined all incoming mail into a single account that only she could check. Now any mail concerning world affairs or the stricken nations would completely bypass its original destination and go straight to her account. She had also hijacked the phone systems of each of the nations; she didn't want any information from the outside world reaching their ears and alerting them or their bosses to anything suspicious. As it was, she knew that she would have to dispose of them soon; they were bound to get curious about Ivan and his mysterious sickness.<p>

The account took much longer to load than usual. Natalia wondered why for a minute before seeing that her inbox was completely overflowing with messages from Yao. Her lips tightened in annoyance; her cell phone had been going off so many times earlier that she had had to put it on silent so that it would stop bothering her. Apparently Yao had tried at least ten times per person to get in touch with the five collective nations and their bosses; this didn't include the texts and phone calls he had made, either. Pulling out her phone, she saw that she had a hundred new texts as well as a hundred new voicemails. Natalia hissed in frustration. She was going to have to do something about this.

* * *

><p>Yao and Kiku were quietly cuddling in their private booth, the remains of their dinner slowly cooling. The small Japanese man was leaning into Yao's embrace; Yao had his hand wrapped protectively around Kiku's head and his other arm around Kiku's waist. Yao gently lipped the silky black hair on the top of Kiku's head, causing him to squirm a bit at the show of affection, but other than that the Japanese man made no move to pull away. Yao chuckled.<p>

"Have Ivan and his associates replied back yet?" Kiku asked. Yao pulled out his phone and shook his head sadly. "It's rather odd that they were not present at the meeting, nor have they returned your communications," he continued. His eyes widened at a sudden thought, and he twisted to look up into Yao's face. "You don't suppose…that _Ivan_ is doing this?" he whispered. Both nations shuddered at the memories of Ivan's past attempts at world domination. By an unspoken consent, they banished such thoughts from their minds and went back to focusing on their evening together.

Yao and Kiku had just ordered dessert when Yao had an odd clenching feeling in his stomach. He frowned and then groaned as the clenching turned into a horrendous ripping feeling. He doubled over on the cushion he was sitting on, unable to stay upright. His body felt hot all over, and he writhed at the agony in his abdomen. His eyes rolled back in his head and his vision diminished to pinpricks as he heard Kiku calling his name frantically. He could only groan in response as he slowly slipped into a blessed darkness where there was no pain.

* * *

><p>Alfred leaned his forehead against the window of the plane. He was sad that Arthur was not coming back with him to the States, but he knew just as well as Arthur did that their respective countries needed them right now. It would just give their bosses that peace of mind if they could have their nation personifications in their sight throughout this experience. Hence why Arthur was remaining in England after their short jaunt back to London from the meeting in Paris, and why Alfred was now flying across the Atlantic.<p>

Pulling his forehead away from the cold window and the dazzlingly white clouds, Alfred closed his eyes. He had no idea what to do right now; there was no indication that Francis, Ludwig, and the others should be falling ill right now, especially to this degree, and frankly he was more than a little frightened at the idea that he could be next. But what bothered him most was that Arthur might be next. The American shivered and pulled his bomber jacket closer around his shoulders, wishing desperately that somehow Arthur would remain untouched. Alfred knew that he would go to the ends of the Earth and beyond to keep Arthur safe, but he still hoped that he wouldn't have to and that the Brit would stay healthy.

In the meantime, though, Alfred had to focus on living up to his earlier words to Matthew. His jaw muscles tightened in determination; anyone who hurt his twin was hurting him. Anger at whoever was behind this welled up in his chest, and Alfred clenched the armrests of his chair, dimly thankful that they were solid all the way through; otherwise, they would have been crushed in his iron grip. Taking several deep breaths, the American resolved – somehow – to find a solution to this mess. That's what heroes were for.

* * *

><p>And there you have it, Chapter 5! Turns out something was going to happen to either Yao or Kiku…any more ideas on what Natalia is using to attack the nations?<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

My Alfred, My Hero

Thank you so much to all of my faithful readers! Seeing you enjoy the story makes me feel all bubbly and fluffy inside :D

Summary of the past 5 chapters: 6 of our beloved nations are sick – Francis, Ludwig, Lovino, Roderich, Elizaveta, and Yao; Natalia is an absolutely evil mastermind; Ivan's 24 hours are whittling down.

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

* * *

><p>Ivan stirred sleepily; something about his and Natalia's conversation from earlier was bugging him like an itch he couldn't scratch. He searched his fuzzy mind for what might be bugging him, though it was hard to do so; he really needed to relieve himself, and he hadn't eaten in two days. Not that Natalia hadn't offered him food; he had just refused to take it in case she had drugged it. He played back their conversation in his mind over and over, hoping that it would eventually jump out at him.<p>

_"Either you will marry me, Ivan, or I will kill off the nations I have struck. Who shall we start with first? There's Ludwig, Lovino, Francis, Roderich, Elizaveta…Yes, brother, not only have I found a spell that will protect me from your…rather childish…hexes, but I have also found a spell that achieves the same effects as if I were physically attacking that country! It is no small matter for me to kill them off in their weakened states, and if you do not marry me, I will be forced to do so. You have been proving to be stubborn in not falling for me and my new power. Know that it will be your fault for not marrying me if the other nations die. You have twenty-four hours to tell me of your decision; I will marry you, and you will marry me."_

Suddenly Ivan had it. _"Not only have I found a spell that will protect me from your… rather childish…hexes, but I have also found a spell that achieves the same effects as if I were physically attacking that country!"_ Natalia did not know how to work magic on her own; even Arthur needed his spell book in order to cast spells. Ivan was the only one who actually had the magic memorized. Wait…spell book…Ivan and Arthur were the only ones who could work magic, but Arthur had the magic written down for him…somehow Natalia must've gotten her hands on the Brit's spell book! Ivan began getting angry with Arthur for allowing Natalia access to his spell book, but then he thought again; the Englishman would never voluntarily allow another person to use the spells from his book. Natalia must've stolen it, and now she was using it to take over the world. Fear finally won over the Russian's self-control; if Natalia had been scary before she had access to the magic, now she was even scarier than Ivan.

The rattle of a key in the lock broke the Russian's concentration. 'It hasn't been 24 hours yet!' Ivan thought frantically, struggling against his bonds. He flinched as the door finally opened to reveal…Raivis.

Disbelief spread over Ivan's face. "What…how did…what are…" Ivan was having trouble forming complete sentences. With one last terrified glance to make sure he wasn't being followed, Raivis rushed into the room and quickly began sawing at the chains that were binding the Russian.

As he was finally able to move his arms and legs, Ivan managed to bring his thoughts together. "How are you here?" he whispered softly. Raivis blinked at him. "I followed Miss Natalia here earlier today, and when I saw that you were missing back at the manor, I knew that you must be in trouble. I borrowed the keys from one of the monks here. Oh Master Ivan, whatever she is up to, you must stop her!" Raivis cried desperately. He finished sawing through the last of the chains, and Ivan sat up and rubbed his wrists to re-start the circulation.

"There's no time for tears, Raivis. We have to stop her before she can do anything else. I need you, Eduard, Toris, Yekaterina, and your bosses to flee to America. Meet up with Alfred in D.C. I'm going to stay here and see if I can confront her; if not, my boss and I will be joining you shortly." With that, Ivan slid off the table and, double-checking to make sure that Raivis had his instructions correctly, he slipped off into the St. Petersburg night.

* * *

><p>Ivan snuck up the back drive of the manor and silently entered his house. He had already secretly checked on his boss, and had been horrified to discover that the man was dead. 'Most likely Natalia's doing,' he thought. Breathing deeply, he listened intently for any noises. Tiptoeing up the steps to the second floor of the manor, he saw that the door to Natalia's room was locked and that the light was on. Creeping up to the door, he heard her loud snoring through the wood. For the first time in his life, Ivan was thankful that Natalia was such a loud snorer when she slept. He slipped out a knife, picked the lock, and quietly opened the door.<p>

Natalia was sprawled on the canopied bed, completely out. A worn volume bound in brown leather lay open next to her. Ivan crept up next to her and looked at the open pages. 'Just as I thought; Arthur's spell book,' he said to himself. He picked up the book and was about to wake Natalia up to confront her when a sudden thought hit him; if she hadn't been discovered yet, even after attacking so many nations, then clearly her clutches reached farther than he could deal with on his own. He struggled silently with himself for a bit before finally reaching a decision; though he hated it, he needed the help of a superpower. He needed to go and ask Alfred F. Jones for help. Ivan could taste bile at this thought, but he was in no condition to confront Natalia on his own. Grabbing the spell book, Ivan slipped out of Natalia's room and fled into the night.

* * *

><p>Alfred was waiting for Kiku at the airport when Kiku's plane arrived after receiving a text from him. The small Japanese man was quivering, and Alfred did not blame him; after all, Yao had been the most recent victim of the attacks. They drove in silence back to Alfred's apartment, with Kiku slowly regaining his normal stoic personality.<p>

Alfred unlocked the front door and held it open for his friend. Kiku walked inside and sat down at Alfred's counter. Alfred hung his car keys up by the door and pulled up a stool next to the Japanese man.

"I think," Kiku began slowly, "that Ivan is behind all of this. I know that it is still early to draw such a conclusion, but Yao had been trying to get in touch with Ivan and his associates all yesterday and was unsuccessful. Plus, you know what his attempts at world domination have been like in the past; would it not be likely that he is once again trying to rule the world?" Kiku's reasoning was quiet yet sound. To Alfred, it sounded as if they had nailed their culprit. He stood up and began pacing.

"So, we think that Ivan is the one behind all this -" he began, but was interrupted by the doorbell. Slightly alarmed, he pulled a small pistol out of his jacket, hearing the scrape of Kiku's sword being drawn from its sheath behind him. Now that they were both armed, Alfred walked up to the door and whipped it open in an attempt to surprise whoever was outside. Both men were shocked to see Yekaterina, Raivis, Toris, and Eduard standing outside. Anger at seeing Ivan's associates immediately welled up in Alfred's chest.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred snarled.

* * *

><p>Natalia finally woke up from her exhausted sleep; casting those spells sure did take it out of a girl! She was sure that the fact that she was not the book's intended user also had something to do with the fact that she had such difficulty casting spells from it. Her hand roamed over the comforter, searching for the volume she had left open after falling asleep earlier. Confusion at not finding it brought her into a sitting position, and when she did not see it where she had left it as well as her door open, fear rose in her chest. Rushing out of the house, she ran all the way to St. Basil's Cathedral, sprinting down the lonely marble corridors and down several flights of stairs before she arrived at the secret dungeons where she had hidden Ivan. Upon seeing that his cell door was open, Natalia threw back her head and loosed a wild scream.<p>

Natalia clutched her hair, almost tangibly feeling her power crumble around her. The Baltic nations had helped him escape, of that she was sure. Since Ivan had not confronted her, he must have gone to the one nation that was still powerful enough to stop her, of that she was also sure. She desperately wracked her brains, trying to think of a weakness she could use against the American…and smiled.

It was common knowledge that Alfred F. Jones had a soft spot for Arthur Kirkland. Not only that, but if she could somehow capture the Englishman and use him as bait against the American, once she had the spell book again she would not only be able to dispose of the one nation standing in her way but also the only other nation in the world that would be able to use any magic against her. Natalia's self-composure returned, and she readied herself for what would be a quick jaunt over to London, England.

* * *

><p>Wow, so this was totally like the game Clue there in the middle section; I felt like calling out "Natalia in the bedroom with the spell book!" But that would have been pointless, considering I am alone… Well, hold on to your hats, folks, 'cause things are only just heating up!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

My Alfred, My Hero

I think this'll be the last chapter for the evening…whew, 7 chapters in two days! Hope you're all enjoying this as much as I am!

Summary of the past 6 chapters: Ivan has escaped; Natalia was using Arthur's spell book against the other nations; Alfred is now hosting a refuge of sorts; Natalia still somehow has the upper hand against everyone else.

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

* * *

><p>Feliciano stirred, wondering where he was for a moment. Then he remembered that he was in the hospital with Ludwig. Turning his head, he looked at the still-unconscious Aryan, tears once again pricking at the corners of his eyes. "Ludwig…Ludwig…" he whispered, curling up closer to him on the hospital bed. "Please wake up."<p>

* * *

><p>Arthur blearily stumbled to his bed, collapsing on it and not even bothering to crawl under the covers. It was 4:00 a.m., and he had been up so late looking for his spell book. It had occurred to him that perhaps there was a cure for mysterious illnesses in it, one that he had not yet memorized, but he seemed to have misplaced it. 'I'll just have…to get Flying Mint Bunny…and Captain Hook…and Tinker Bell…to help me…look for it…in the morning,' he thought to himself, his exhausted mind having trouble forming a complete sentence.<p>

He felt as if he had only just closed his eyes when a rough cloth covering his nose and mouth jolted him awake. An iron grip held the cloth in place, and the Brit instinctively tried not to inhale as he fought against his attacker. He could almost taste the sickly sweet smell of the anesthetic on the cloth, which just made him fight back all the more. The darkened room did not enable him to see more than the outline of his attacker, who was dressed in all black. He could, however, see a pair of violet eyes staring intently at him. A million thoughts were flickering through his head before a sudden object striking his temple brought all thoughts to an end.

* * *

><p>Matthew wandered aimlessly around Francis' house, the normally cheery and romantic atmosphere seeming dull and lifeless without its owner. Matthew opened the French doors leading to the terrace, where he curled up on a chair in the moonlight. He clutched one of the blankets from the Frenchman's bed, reveling in the scent that was so musky, so flowery, so masculine…so Francis. Matthew's breath hitched, and even with the blanket wrapped around his body, he still felt cold…cold and alone.<p>

* * *

><p>Alfred glared at the four nations standing outside of his door. The small group was shifting nervously from foot to foot. Alfred peeked his head out in the corridor, looking to see where Ivan might be hiding. "Where's Ivan?" he demanded. A gentle touch on his shoulder told him that Kiku had joined him at the door.<p>

The vocal Latvian immediately spoke up. "Ivan is in Russia he sent us here because there's danger in Russia Miss Natalia is doing something horrible she had Ivan locked up in the basement of St. Basil's Cathedral -"

"Wait, what?" Kiku interrupted. At a nod from Alfred, the two nations stepped back to allow the Baltics to enter Alfred's apartment. Once they had all entered, Alfred closed and locked the door. He led them all to the living room, where they all sat down.

"Now, you were saying?"

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Alfred and Kiku were able to piece together the information that the Baltics had given them.<p>

"Lemme get this straight," Alfred said, ticking off the conclusions on his fingers. "Natalia and not Ivan is behind all of this, Natalia had Ivan locked up in the basement of a church, Ivan is currently in Russia confronting her, your bosses are with my boss at the moment, and you are here because Ivan sent you here?"

The Baltics nodded.

Alfred rubbed his tired face. "Well, I guess we have to wait for I-" for the second time that evening he was interrupted by a doorbell. Raivis perked up. "That must be Ivan!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Sure enough, when the American opened the door he was greeted by the sight of the scowling Russian. The two nations eyed each other coldly before Alfred stepped back to allow Ivan to enter.

Ivan slowly entered the living room, closely followed by Alfred. They sat, glaring at each other, before finally Alfred spoke. "Well? What's the deal with Natalia?"

Ivan sneered at being spoken to thus, but answered the American's question. "Natalia has murdered my boss and hers. I do not know how far her reach is in my government, but it must be deep if none of my associates were alerted to what has been happening. She has been striking at the other nations by means of this spell…" Ivan pulled out Arthur's spell book and flipped it open to the page that Natalia had been looking at while in her room.

"Wait – is this Arthur's spell book?" Kiku frowned. Ivan inclined his head in the direction of the Japanese man as everyone crowded around to look at the book.

"Spells? Magic? Dude, what a bunch of baloney!" America laughed. Kiku now frowned at the American. "Clearly it is not 'baloney' if it has been having an effect on the other nations," he chastised. Alfred was left gaping at him. He quickly recovered.

"Well, whatever it is, we should return it to Arthur; he'll know what to do," Alfred said confidently. He stopped when he saw the Baltics all give tired yawns. Alfred realized that he himself was also beginning to lose his stamina.

"Tell you what, you guys can all camp out in here, the lady can stay in the spare -" Yekaterina sighed gratefully that, as the only woman, she would get a room to herself, "- and Kiku can sleep in my room with me." He winked at the now-blushing Japanese man. As he walked to the linen closet and rummaged around for spare blankets, sheets, and pillows, he heard Kiku creep up behind him and hiss in his ear, "Don't even _think_ of doing anything; you are Arthur's, and I am Yao's." Alfred chuckled and whispered back, "I would never."

* * *

><p>Alfred's computer dinging crazily woke him up in the still-dark hours of the morning. He lurched out of bed and slapped at the keyboard, trying to shut it up; he didn't want to Skype this early in the morning. The video chat box popped up anyways as Kiku stirred from his side of the bed.<p>

Alfred froze when he saw who was in the video feed.

An evilly grinning Natalia was holding a grimacing Arthur, bound to a chair with cruelly tight ropes. One of Natalia's hands was twined in his blonde locks, exposing his pale throat; the other held a wicked-looking knife pressed up against the Brit's neck with enough force to indent while not breaking the skin…yet.

Alfred's senses kicked in, and he began shouting obscenities at Natalia loud enough to wake the whole apartment. Kiku wandered over to the screen and gasped when he saw what Alfred was seeing. In a few moments Ivan stumbled into the room as well, causing Natalia to grin even wider. Ivan froze.

"Alfred F. Jones." Natalia's voice was fuzzy over the grainy newsfeed. "I have something you want, and you have something I want. I propose a swap. Bring me the book and Ivan, and you get your beloved Brit. If you are not here, in St. Petersburg, within 24 hours …well, you can guess what will happen." Arthur stiffened as the knife finally bit into his skin, though only enough to draw a few drops of blood.

"Don't listen to her, Alfred!" Arthur cried out. A swift yank of his hair cut off any further words he was going to say.

Alfred's blood boiled when he saw this. "You'll never get away with this, Natalia! You don't have the spell book anymore to keep hurting the other nations!" he shouted at her.

She merely smirked back at him. "Do you really think that I need a spell book to hurt him, Alfred?" she whispered, glancing down at Arthur. "Ivan has so kindly built up a store of nuclear missiles over the years." Alfred glared at Ivan, who had the grace to at least look ashamed. "Now that I have access to them, you cannot stop me, and if you try to cast any spells, I will still be able to launch enough rockets to completely wipe out the United Kingdom. You will have the pleasure of watching Mr. Kirkland dissolve into so much radioactive waste…" she trailed off before narrowing her eyes. "Think over your answer carefully. I expect it to be the right one."

* * *

><p>And that's all for now, folks! I'm going to bed now…wish me luck on my humanities final!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

My Alfred, My Hero

I don't know if y'all knew this, but Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for 'The Mission' is a _really_ inspirational set of music to listen to…that's what I've been listening to the whole time I've been writing this. Go check out this song: Gabriel's Oboe. _After_ you read this chapter, though…

Summary of the past Chapters: Natalia's secret weapon has been Arthur's spell book; Ivan escaped with the spell book; Natalia found out and kidnapped Arthur; Alfred has 24 hours to exchange Ivan and the spell book for Arthur.

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

* * *

><p>Alfred stared at the floor through a cloud of anger, his white knuckles gripping the arms of the chair with enough force to crack the wood. His memory kept flashing back to Natalia's message. Arthur had remained impassive throughout, refusing to show defeat in his body language, but even though the video feed had been slightly grainy, he had seen the fear in Arthur's beautiful green eyes. 'I have to be the hero now; I can't let anything happen to him,' Alfred resolved, choking back emotion.<p>

"…Alfred?"

Alfred snapped back to attention, grateful for the interruption; he had been close to tears. "What?" he asked. Kiku was looking sympathetically at him, and Ivan had his hands clasped in his lap.

"I will go with the spell book; it is my fault that Natalia has the upper hand with the missiles," Ivan said. Alfred quirked his eyebrow. "Uh-uh, man, I'm the hero!" he said forcefully. "I want to be the one to do this." In an undertone he added, "I _have_ to be the one to do this."

He looked Kiku and Ivan in the eyes. "I feel like Natalia isn't going to stick to her word; once she has me, Arthur, and the spell book, she'll probably set off the nukes anyways. That's why you have to stay here, Ivan -" he cut off the protesting Russian. "You know the ways around your government; you and Kiku see if you can't hack into the system and change the controls so that she doesn't have access to the missiles anymore. It's the least you can do, since you created the missiles in the first place," he added, trying to guilt-trip Ivan. Ivan's nostrils flared, but he sat back down in his chair.

Kiku spoke up. "It is a good plan; this way we all we be productive." Ivan glared at Alfred for several moments. Finally he addressed him. "I am not one to run away from trouble. But you are right; I am needed to change the codes for the missiles." Alfred gave a silent sigh of relief; he had expected the Russian to be belligerent with him as was usually the case when the two of them were trying to work together. Alfred stood up.

"Well…I'll see you all tomorrow," he said, voicing for everyone the assumed opinion that they would make it through this and refusing to believe that all was lost.

* * *

><p>Arthur watched Natalia pace around the room as the deadline approached. He dearly hoped that Alfred would not cave in to Natalia's threats, though he knew that it was too much to hope for; the American always insisted on being the hero. Secretly, though, he was afraid of dying. He hated himself for being relieved that Alfred would most likely come to try and save him, though he also knew that his chances for survival even then would be slim; Natalia would be unlikely to withdraw her threats, so basically either way he was going to get bombed. In the meantime, though, he arranged his face into a mask of indifference, his old pirate instincts kicking in: piss off the captor. In his later years he had never been captured, but in his early years, he had been captured many times.<p>

"You're looking worried there, Natalia; got something you'd care to share?" he asked pleasantly. Natalia's turned to him, snarling in response before resuming her pacing. Unruffled, Arthur continued.

"You know, perhaps you've got too much stress from trying to take over the world." Arthur knew that what he was saying was lame, but it was the first thing that came to mind. "That, as well as unrequited love, can really take it out of a person."

At the mention of "unrequited love" Arthur suddenly found a knife at his throat again. Smirking, he knew he had hit a tender spot. Her crazed violet eyes bored into his, the knife blade pressing against his Adam's apple.

"Depending on whether or not Alfred shows up, I won't be the only one here whose love is unrequited," she spat. Arthur's breath hitched, momentarily losing his self-control. What if Alfred really didn't love him? If Alfred didn't love him, then he was sure to not show up.

"I'm here." Natalia whirled around. Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of the American standing in the doorway. Relief welled inside of his chest, but Arthur's nobility quickly squashed it. "Alfred, don't listen to anything she tells you! Don't do this!" he cried; it was all he was able to get out before Natalia backhanded him across the face, effectively stopping any more words he had to say. Arthur hissed involuntarily, the intensity of the sting indicating that she had broken the skin in several places.

Alfred gave a small cry from the doorway and rushed forward, quickly stopping as Natalia once again placed the knife blade to Arthur's throat. Her eyes looked the American up and down, noting the spell book in his hand, and narrowing her eyes at the lack of her brother.

"Ivan; where is he? We had a deal!" her voice rose. Alfred rolled his eyes. "_You_ try getting him to do something he doesn't want to; besides, once you have this book back you can magic him back to you." _Not that it would work; magic isn't real_, Alfred thought to himself. He didn't know how Natalia had been able to hurt the others, but it couldn't have been magic. He could see Natalia warring with herself; should she take the book and get Ivan later, or should she forgo the book and carry out her threats? Finally she made up her mind.

"The book; place it on the floor halfway," she commanded. "_Slowly_," she added, unceremoniously ripping Arthur's head backwards to expose his neck further. Alfred slowly walked forward, hands held up in surrender. Keeping his eyes on Arthur, who returned his gaze with fear in his eyes, he bent over and placed the book on the floor. "Back away," Natalia ordered. He slowly backed up.

Keeping the knife to Arthur's exposed throat, she undid his bonds and forced him into a standing position. Walking both of them forward, she had him pick up the book while keeping the sharp metal almost embedded in his skin. Standing up straight again, she grabbed the book suddenly from his hands and shoved him forward. Arthur stumbled, and Alfred raced forward and caught him before he fell. Both watched Natalia eagerly peruse the book to make sure that it was the original before turning back to each other.

The emotions he had been holding back – doubt, fear, and exhaustion – finally got the better of him, and Arthur grasped Alfred's bomber jacket in tight fists and buried his head in the fur of the collar. Alfred returned the gesture in a hug that almost crushed his bones. "I thought you weren't coming…" Arthur whispered. Alfred's hand moved to cup the back of Arthur's head. "I would follow you to the ends of the Earth to get you back," he breathed. It was too much for Arthur; the tears he had been trying to hold back finally escaped from his eyes.

"Well isn't this touching." At the sound of Natalia's voice the two nations once again turned to her. "Yeah, well, good luck using that book, it's useless, magic isn't real," Alfred sneered right back at her. Natalia quirked an eyebrow at him, and Arthur turned to gasp at Alfred. "But-but-I've told you, magic is real! Don't you believe me?" The pain in Arthur's voice struck the American's heart at its deepest. Alfred avoided looking in his eyes, unable to tell him what he believed or who he believed in. Arthur pulled away from him, standing back on shaky legs.

"Well, let's see if you believe this," Natalia declared. She looked at the open page in the book and spoke in a voice unlike her own. Alfred could hear some sort of fey chorus swirling around the edges of the words she uttered, the deep bass reverberating throughout the chamber. Suddenly Arthur clutched his stomach and fell to the floor, groaning. "No!" Alfred shouted, dropping to his knees. "Too late," Natalia leered, finished with the spell. She sagged a bit as the magic took its toll, but stood up proudly to watch the thrashing Brit in front of her. Alfred was shattered; here was what he had been fearing the most, his beloved Arthur stricken and helpless.

Arthur knew he had only moments left before Natalia's spell left him helpless; though he hated to do it, he knew that he had to. "Cer don incendia!" he cried out, stretching his hand in the direction of the book. Immediately the book burst into flames. Natalia shrieked and dropped it; within seconds, all that was left of the book was a small pile of ashes. He was satisfied momentarily, and allowed himself to fall unconscious and be rid of the pain.

Alfred gaped at the scene before him; Arthur was vomiting blood, the book had been destroyed, and Natalia was staring at him with unbridled rage. She gave a last unearthly scream before turning her thunderous wrath upon the American. "This ruins everything!" she shrieked. Whirling, she rushed to the side of the room and threw open a small metal door revealing a red button almost begging for her to push it. Though Alfred wondered how it had gotten in the basement of St. Basil's Cathedral, he without a doubt knew that Natalia was off the edge and that she would nuke Arthur to oblivion, as well as the rest of the world.

"NO!" he screamed.

* * *

><p>Sorry it took so long to get up! I kind of procrastinated a lot with this…oh well, get ready for the final two chapters coming up later today!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

My Alfred, My Hero

This chapter is dedicated to my big Hetalia sisters: Britain (Jackie), France (Maggie), Sealand (Olivia), and Poland (Amy). Thank you all for the marathon and getting me hooked!

Summary of the past chapters: …Our hero is up the creek. Btw, this chapter goes over part of the last chapter, but now from Alfred's perspective.

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

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><p>"No!" Alfred shouted, dropping to his knees next to Arthur as Natalia's spell took its toll on Arthur. He watched as Arthur's eyes rolled back in his head, the beautiful green disappearing and leaving only white. He grasped Arthur's shoulders when suddenly the Brit shouted something in a language only Arthur knew. Alfred flinched at the words and watched, dumbfounded, as the book exploded in a fiery inferno. He looked away from the book and down at the now-unconscious Arthur, whose lower jaw was slick with blood. 'This can't be happening,' Alfred thought, his heart shattering at seeing his beloved Arthur hurt and helpless.<p>

Natalia's screaming brought his attention back to her. "This ruins everything!" she shrieked, whirling and running to a metal box in which rested a red button trigger. "NO!" America screamed.

At that moment, something clicked inside him. Summoning a ferocious burst of energy, he _roared_ and charged Natalia with a speed as inhuman as was his strength. Natalia whirled in surprise, having not yet touched the button, and saw the furious American barreling towards her almost too fast for comprehension.

Then Alfred's momentum had slammed into her with bone-crushing force. The force of the impact had her flying across the room to the adjacent wall. The only thoughts occupying her mind were those about her front feeling as if it were on fire. Then it felt like her back was on fire as she struck the wall with a resounding _crack_ that echoed around the chamber for some time afterwards. Hairline ruptures as well as some larger ones formed in the stone and raced up, down, and outward from the point of impact. Her thoughts were cut short. She slid down the cold wall limply, never to move again.

Alfred's moment caused him to smash into the wall. Momentarily stunned, he quickly turned his attention to the metal box and accompanying button. Snarling with feral strength, he ripped off the metal casings, exposing the wires. Not caring which ones he grasped, he tore out as many as he could. Finally, when he was nearly satisfied with his work, he smashed the red button, the plastic splintering into a thousand pieces. Panting, he finally regained control of his thoughts. Looking at Natalia's broken form, he realized that he felt no regret because of what she had done to Arthur…Arthur! Alfred snapped his attention to Arthur, who still lay on the cold stone floor, white as death.

"Arthur! No, no, no…" Alfred ran back to his side and picked him up by the shoulders, putting his head to his chest to listen for a heartbeat. Turning to look at his face, he used his t-shirt to wipe the blood from his chin. Arthur's pulse was much too weak, and his skin was cold and clammy. "Arthur…Arthur, you gotta get better!" he cried, brushing the soft blonde bangs from Arthur's pale face. Alfred glanced agitatedly at the door to their chamber, wondering when they would arrive.

Hours passed, and Arthur's skin grew colder and colder. Alfred hugged his small form to his body, trying to pass on some of his own heat to Arthur. He leaned up against the wall and, taking off his bomber jacket, laid it over Arthur whom he clasped to his chest. Tears leaked from his eyes as he remembered the times that Arthur had hugged him this same way, back when he had still been Arthur's colony…the wonderful times they had spent together since that fateful Fourth of July when they had confessed their love to each other…Arthur's lips pressed passionately against his own, whispering his love for the American…Alfred couldn't help it as the tears began to flow more freely. He needed a reassurance that Arthur would live; he had already done as much as he could to save the Englishman, and he knew that he would be heartbroken if he lost Arthur now. He couldn't go through life without Arthur; Arthur was everything to him.

Finally, he heard the pattering of footsteps on stairs, and Ivan, Kiku, and the Baltics rushed into the room. Ivan took a look at Natalia, closed his eyes, and resigned himself to her fate. Kiku rushed over to the place where the trigger for the nuclear missiles had been. "You know, you didn't have to destroy it like this; we were able to hack into the system but a few minutes before you…went berserk," he said.

Alfred rolled his eyes at him. "And I was supposed to know that how? The radio was only one way," he said. Kiku thought about that for a moment. "Whatever," Alfred said before Kiku could respond. "Now, where's the book?"

Ivan pulled a large browned leather volume from a sack, handing it to Alfred. Supporting the limp Arthur with one hand, he flipped through the book with his other hand. He finally found the page he was looking for. Before he could utter the words on the page, however, doubt crept into his mind. He closed his eyes, his practical side warring with his love for Arthur. He trembled. Finally, he forced his eyes open and, before he could convince himself otherwise, cried out the words on the page.

A strange draining feeling ran through his veins, though it was soon gone after he finished the incantation. His sole focus was now on Arthur. Slowly, slowly, a peachy tint crept back into Arthur's cheeks, his breathing became more regulated, and his facial muscles relaxed. However, he remained unconscious. Alfred stared at him, fearing the worst. His heart dropped past his stomach, and he choked.

Ivan pointed at a small line at the end of the page, smirking. Alfred read it. He turned beet red. "No way!" he exclaimed. "Not with you all around!"

Ivan was enjoying the American's discomfort way too much, Alfred thought. "Pretend we are not here," he jeered playfully. Alfred sputtered, at a loss for words. "Come now, Alfred-san; it has to be you," Kiku said. He gave the American a look. "If you want Arthur to live, you must do it."

Alfred looked down at Arthur's beautiful face, marred only by a few small cracks and a light discoloration from where Natalia had struck him earlier. 'I am the hero; I _have_ to do it,' he thought. And with that he smashed his lips against Arthur's.

He had intended for it to be a simple peck on the lips, but the moment his lips touched Arthur's, he found his resolve crumbling. He closed his eyes and angled his head so that his nose wasn't brushing Arthur's anymore. Bringing his hand up to Arthur's face, he deepened the kiss. He poured his love for Arthur into the kiss: his adoration for Arthur's mannerisms, his love for Arthur the person, and most of all, his relief that Arthur was here, in his arms.

* * *

><p>Arthur found himself slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, from his stinging cheek and throbbing head to a gentle pressure on his lips…'Wait, what?' his consciousness objected as his subconscious brought his head forward to meet whatever was against his lips and his hand up and around the head of another person. His fingers twined in soft hair and brushed against a certain strand that refused to be tamed, and in that moment he knew. He snapped his eyes open, and sure enough, Alfred was <em>kissing<em> him.

"ALFRED YOU BLOODY WANKER!" he shouted, pushing himself away from the American and falling to the floor when Alfred's arms no longer supported him. Adrenaline raced through his veins, making his already weak limbs all the shakier. He glanced around the room and was confused to see Ivan, Kiku, and the Baltics, but no Natalia.

Then he saw Natalia sprawled on the floor on the opposite side of the room. He glanced at Alfred and put two and two together, shuddering. Alfred went to hug him, but Arthur smacked him away.

"No, you are not allowed to touch me, you insufferable git! You just kissed me! IN PUBLIC!" he roared.

"I saved you, Iggy! And for your information, they wouldn't leave!" Alfred shouted right back at him; he only used the nickname "Iggy" when he was mad anymore.

"And it seemed as if you liked it," Ivan put in with a snicker. Arthur glared at the Russian. Turning his glare to Alfred, he demanded, "Tell me what happened."

* * *

><p>And one more chapter to wrap things up!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

My Alfred, My Hero

This last and final chapter is dedicated to Clare, who has put up with many a shenanigan on my part and who has faithfully read this story as it progresses and endured my enthusiasm for the story and all of you readers. Thank you, Clare! You are amazing.

Character Refresh: Natalia (Belarus), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America), Arthur (England), Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia), Toris (Lithuania), Francis (France), Ludwig (Germany), Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (South Italy), Antonio (Spain), Yekaterina (Ukraine), Matthew (Canada), Yao (China), Kiku (Japan), Elizaveta (Hungary), Roderich (Austria), Gilbert (Prussia).

* * *

><p>Alfred started at the beginning, when he and the others had been deciding their course of action after they had received Natalia's message. He explained how he had convinced the others to stay in Washington, D.C. and try and hack into the missile system in order to divert the missiles should Natalia try and launch them after all. He explained that he had had a miniscule microphone in the fur of his bomber jacket so that the others could keep track of him and his conversation with Natalia. He skipped over the part of his confrontation with Natalia that Arthur had been conscious of and instead narrated what all had happened after Arthur had fallen. He brushed over the hours during which he had waited for the others to come and how they had apparently deactivated the missile launchers just minutes before Natalia went to push the button.<p>

"And so we successfully averted a global disaster!" Alfred said cheerfully. He fist pumped the air. "I _am_ the hero!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yes, Alfred, you saved the world, but what I don't understand is why I am conscious. If I remember correctly the spell that Natalia used, I shouldn't be awake and well right now."

Alfred looked ever so slightly sheepish now. "Uh…you know how you kind of incinerated the book I gave Natalia? Well, that wasn't your spell book." Arthur gaped at him.

"You have this habit of going all noble and everything, so I figured that you probably had some way of self-destructing the book should it fall into the wrong hands, so before I left for Russia, Ivan, Kiku and I all made a copy of the book. We were pretty sure of the spell that Natalia was trying to use, so we left that spell alone in the copy, but for every other spell, we switched it ever so slightly so that it wouldn't work if she tried to use it. I was right in thinking that she would try and use the spell she used on Francis, Ludwig, and everyone else on you, and I knew that if she did, I would need that spell book to use a spell to make you all better."

Arthur's emerald eyes widened at the implications of the American's words. "You…y… _you_ said a spell? You used magic? You _believe_ in magic? But you said earlier that you didn't!"

Alfred immediately corrected Arthur. "I didn't actually say anything; if this plan was to work, then I needed you to believe that I still didn't believe in magic. I had to convince Natalia somehow that I didn't believe in magic, and the only way to do that was to make you believe it, too. I'm sorry for hurting you." Alfred hung his head.

Arthur was silent for a while. "But you used magic?" he finally said.

Alfred brought his beautiful blue eyes up to Arthur's gaze. "I used magic, Arthur. I believe in magic now. I believe in _you_."

Arthur's vision went blurry at those last words as tears clouded his eyes. He leaned forward to meet Alfred's embrace, and they grasped each other in a hug. "I love you, Arthur," Alfred whispered for only Arthur to hear. Arthur could only nod, but he gripped his beloved American all the tighter in response.

A cough behind them caused them to break apart. Clearing his throat and straightening the tie of his uniform, Arthur said, "One last thing: why did you kiss me again?"

In response, Alfred pointed to the page in the spell book. Arthur's eyes bugged out and he turned beet red. "I'm going to have to change that," he muttered.

* * *

><p>A knock at the door interrupted Arthur's midmorning tea. Setting the delicate china down on its saucer, he rose and answered the door. He staggered back a few steps as a tidal force struck him and hugged him. "Yes, Alfred, it's nice to see you too," Arthur awkwardly patted the American's back. Alfred let go of him and grinned.<p>

"Hey, man, do ya think you could show me some more of that magic in your spell book?" he asked.

"As soon as I am done my tea," Arthur responded, sighing. He led Alfred into the sitting room and sipped his tea as Alfred chattered on about Matthew and Francis and what they were up to these days.

In the passing months since the 'Natalia Incident', as it was commonly being called by the other nations now, the stricken nations had been woken and had made quick recoveries. Alfred had refused to kiss any of the other nations, so Matthew had cast the spell for Francis; Feliciano had kept kissing Ludwig even after he was awake; Kiku had eventually kissed Yao, though it had taken quite some encouraging since Alfred wanted to stay and torture Kiku as Kiku had tortured him when kissing Arthur; Antonio had cast the spell for Lovino, who had promptly smacked him and let loose a flow of foul words as soon as he had regained consciousness; and Gilbert had had to kiss both Roderich and Elizaveta, the former who had proceeded to punch every inch of Gilbert's body that he could reach and the latter who had pulled out her frying pan and whacked all of the parts of Gilbert that Roderich had missed, as well as some he hadn't.

It had been agreed that some of the spells in Arthur's spell book were better off not existing, so he and Alfred had gone through the entire large volume and burned the pages listing spells that were of an overtly destructive nature. There were spells in the book that Arthur had not even known were there, and he was glad to be rid of some of the more harmful ones.

For a while, everyone had wondered what to do about the country of Belarus, who now lacked a nation personification. Ivan had been about to annex Belarus for Russia when a little girl had been found. She was the spitting image of the old Natalia, but luckily she lacked her predecessor's creepier mannerisms. Ivan was now happily a big brother once again, and he lavished all the love a big brother could give on the new Natalia.

Arthur was brought back to the present once his reminiscing of the past few months was done. He finished his tea and led Alfred into his basement. Lighting a torch held in a sconce by the door, he walked down the steps to the darkened room below. Alfred came closer to Arthur as their surroundings got progressively darker until he was practically on top of the Brit.

"There aren't any ghosts down here, right?" he whispered in a small voice.

Arthur sighed. "No, Alfred, there are no ghosts."

They reached the bottom of the steps, and Arthur led Alfred to a stool by a desk next to the far wall. The spidery black pentagram in the middle of the stone floor glittered as Arthur lit more torches around the perimeter of the room. Setting the original torch in an empty sconce, he pulled his spell book from the shelf and said to Alfred, "Did you have any particular spell in mind?"

Alfred thought for a moment and said, "Can you cast the one where the room lights up in red, white, and blue? And make sure it's in the stars and stripes!" Arthur groaned; the young nation always insisted that red, white, and blue looked better on his flag than they did on the Union Jack. Nonetheless, Arthur complied.

He pulled on his black cloak that he always wore when casting magic. Opening up the book to the appropriate page, he began chanting and lighting the candles at each tip of the pentagram. Raising his hands, he finished the incantation, and the room burst into a shimmering red, white, and blue sheen. It seemed as if the walls and ceiling were coated in a shimmering and fluttering American flag.

Arthur felt a pair of strong arms slip around his waist. "You're not done the spell yet," Alfred said. Arthur frowned at him and looked back at the page. Scrawled in pencil at the bottom of the page was an addition to the spell. _Now kiss the one who is nearest you and thy spell shall be complete_, it read. Arthur rolled his eyes and, setting the book down, twisted in the American's embrace so that he was facing him, amusement written all over his face.

"When did you write that bit in?" he asked.

Alfred's face reflected the shimmering of the lights as well as his love for the Brit, and Arthur's heart fluttered. "I did it when we were going through your spell book a few months ago. Come on, Arthur; I'm the hero, and I haven't even gotten a thank-you kiss from you yet!" He grinned mischievously down at the smaller nation, looking deep into his green eyes with his own blue ones.

Arthur rolled his eyes at this last statement and brought his arms up around Alfred's neck. "You are a greedy hero," he smirked up at Alfred. Leaning forward so that their lips almost touched, he whispered. "But you _are_ a hero. You're _my_ hero. My Alfred…my hero."

* * *

><p>I realized that I left Ludwig and Feliciano and Kiku and Yao out of the "getting better" part, so I went back and added it in... but anyways, there you have it, people! Thank you all so much for reading this!<p> 


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